Rishabh Pant is yet to complete a decade in international cricket. But the keeper-batter is already one of the most talked about names, thanks to his breathtaking batting, particularly in the Test format.

Even Pant’s staunchest critics would agree that he’s one of India’s most trusted cricketers and a match-winner in red-ball cricket. Importantly, his approach on the field doesn’t seem to have changed one bit since his return to competitive cricket — in last year’s IPL after being sidelined for a year and a half following his car accident in late December 2022.

For Pant, the key to such an approach is keeping things as simple as possible, something he had learnt from Mahendra Singh Dhoni early in his career and continues
to follow.

“As a cricketer, I see it this way that I have to give my 100 per cent each and every day. I just don’t go too high on my innings or too low when I am not doing great,” Pant said at the India@100: Leadership Insight from the Sports Economy programme organised by CII Eastern Region at a city hotel on Monday.

“So, I look to keep it simple. Like Mahibhai said, ‘if you can keep it simple for a longer period of time, you’re going to get the fair result’.”

It’s quite obvious that Pant’s approach won’t be much different when he goes out to bat for Lucknow Super Giants against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden on Tuesday.

Only 19 runs are what Pant, the costliest player ever in the IPL (at ₹27 crore), has accumulated so far in this edition. However, his carefree nature, which was noticed even during the Super Giants’ training session on Sunday, is one of his biggest strengths and drives him to blow his obstacles away.

“You have to have a mindset where you push yourself and say, ‘yes, I can be better’. If you are giving your 200 per cent each and every day, you should take the result however it is. And then, just try to be your best version of yourself the next day,” Pant, who started his international career in early 2017, emphasised.

Talking about how his perspective on life and cricket has changed since his comeback, the Super Giants captain said: “Once your perspective to life changes, I think the perspective to sports also definitely changes.

“I think we should take time and appreciate what we have in life. That is something the accident taught me. Simple things like waking up every day, brushing your teeth and other small things play a huge part. That is my learning from it.

“A lot of people are suffering, and they can’t do those basic things by themselves. That’s where you realise that this is something you are blessed with.

“Besides, always looking at the brighter side is another thing which really helped me get through my tough time post-accident. Because I could be sitting in a place where I had no help, nothing. But I could afford myself a life where people around me stood by me, which is a luxury to have in life.

“And to think about day-to-day life, being happy is really important. Yes, you want to be successful each and every day. But a lot of times in sports, it might not happen.

“Still, you need to have your chin up and push yourself.”